May a snowmachine be used in that portion of the park formerly known as Mt. McKinley National Park (Old Park)?
36 C.F.R. § 13.952
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01No, based on the application of the definition of traditional activities within the park to the factual history of the Old Park, there are no traditional activities that occurred during periods of adequate snow cover within the Old Park; and, thus, Section 1110(a) of ANILCA does not authorize snowmachine access. Hunting and trapping were not and are not legally permitted activities in the Old Park at any time of the year. Sport fishing has not taken place in the Old Park during periods of adequate snow cover due to weather conditions that are adverse to sport fishing, and the limited fishery resources within the Old Park. During periods of adequate snow cover, berry picking is not feasible, and has not taken place in the Old Park. Under the definition, recreational use of snowmachines is not a traditional activity. There are no villages, homesites or other valid occupancies within the Old Park. Access by snowmachine through the Old Park in transit to homesites, villages and other valid occupancies was not lawful prior to the enactment of ANILCA and is available through routes outside the Old Park that have been historically used for that purpose. Therefore, the use of snowmachines is not authorized by section 1110(a) for such travel. Further, Congress did not authorize subsistence activities in the Old Park. In addition, the National Park Service has determined that the use of even a few snowmachines in the Old Park would be detrimental to the resource values of the area. Therefore, because no usage is authorized in the Old Park by section 1110(a) the Old Park remains closed to all snowmachine use in accordance with 36 CFR 2.18.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-36.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026